Expert Advice

Back to BASICS: B Is For Better Eating

It’s not hard to find the motivation the first week of January to get back to a healthier routine – it’s sticking with that routine through the entire month and beyond is where many of us get tripped up. To help us create an plan that we can actually stick too, we went to our #TeamReflex member Brittney Ward, who works hard to provide her fans with the resources to change their lifestyle and habits. We’ll be sharing her Back to BASICS Approach with you over the next 6 weeks to help you make 2017 your healthiest year ever!

Over to you Brittney.

Whoever said “gains are made in the kitchen” was telling the truth! Diet is equally, if not more important, as getting your workouts in. If your post holiday goals include shedding off the extra turkey and candy canes, then here are your 3 need to know tips!

BETTER EATING TIP #1: Reduce your caloric intake

I know this one sounds easy, I mean you could just read the nutritional facts and portion out your serving size, but this is easy to forget or quite frankly just not cared about.

To reduce your caloric intake, you need to manage the foods you are eating and what goes into them.

This starts with meal preparation. If you’re cooking your food with oils, you’re already increasing the caloric value of the meal. Instead try baking or grilling food when you can. And as for sauces, if you can cut them out completely you’ll be doing yourself a huge favour! You don’t need to compromise your healthy eating by lathering it with fattening, sodium loaded dressings. Try adding spices to your dish. They add a ton of flavour, without added sodium or calories.

BETTER EATING TIP #2: Cheat meals are ok, but overindulging is not

If you want to get on track with your diet, it’s certainly important to clean up the meals you’re eating. But rewarding yourself from time to time is more than acceptable, it’s what keeps us sane!

Heard of the 90/10 rule? 90 percent of your meals should be reserved for nutritional choices, but the remaining 10 percent can be used for your indulgence. Think about it like this: If you eat 21 meals in a week (3 meals x 7 days), this gives you the option to splurge for about 2 of them. But what is a “cheat meal”? Let me provide a couple guidelines!

First off, it’s important to understand that a cheat meal should be restricted to a MEAL, not a DAY, as eating unhealthy foods all day will not only sky rocket your caloric intake, but will likely cause your blood sugar to spike and crash (reactive hypoglycemia), resulting in fatigue, nausea, and you left feeling hungry, and bloated.

Another way to feel less guilty about a little indulgence is rewarding yourself post-training when your body is in an anabolic phase (i.e. re-building), and more likely to put those extra calories to use.

Now that you know this, you can plan for your next cheat meal. Give yourself the freedom to indulge a little 10 percent of the of the time, and keep motivated on eating healthy and training hard the other 90!

BETTER EATING TIP #3: Eat the right foods

Now that you know you need to reduce your caloric intake but it’s ok to have cheat meals, you might be a little confused.

Here’s the basic rundown. Make sure that your providing your body with the essential nutrients it needs. This includes protein, carbs, and fats (yes, fats are good for you!).

Steer clear of trans fats, found in processed foods, and include lots of healthy fats in your diet like avocado, nuts (preferably almonds), extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.

When it comes to carbs, think lots of veggies (the green ones are never a bad idea!), as well as low glycemic carbs like oatmeal, rice, berries, and sweet potatoes.

For protein, think healthy lean proteins like eggs, fish, chicken, or a quality whey protein powder, like Magnum Quattro, which can easily be added to your morning smoothie, or post workout shake.

Have a better eating tip you want to share or just looking for a little more motivation? Get social with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by tagging your tips and comments with #ReflexNation.